Rotary track-cleaning device



(No Model.)

G. W. BAEHRE. I ROTARY TRACK CLEANING DEVICE. N0. 588,711i Patented Aug. 24,1897.

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By W [M m w-ums PEYERS co. womuwa. wnsumurom n. c.

UNITED STAT S PATENT- OFFICE.

GEORGE w. BAEHRE, or NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

ROTARY TRACK-CLEANING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 170,588,711, dated August 24, 1897.

. Application filed November. 3, 1893. Serial No. 610,924. (No model.)

To all whom, it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BAEHRE, a i citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a certain new and Improved Rotary Track-Clearing Device, of which the following is a specification.

7 The object of my invention is to provide an efficient means for keeping a railroad-track clean or clear from snow or other material by means of rotary brushes and means for bring- 3, showing the details of its construction.

Fig. 3 represents a central section through one of the brushes on or about line b b, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged front elevation of a car-track and the car-track clearing device connected with it.

Referring to the drawings for the details of construction, the frame 1 is constructed in the ordinary Way and of the usualmaterial.

The car-wheels 2 and axles 3 are also of the usual construction. To the forward axle is rigidly secured a spur gear-wheel 4. A shaft 5 is mounted in boxes in the supporting-frame 6 (see Fig. 1) and is'provided with afeather 7 On the shaft 5 is loosely mounted a spur-pinion 8, adapted to gear in with the spur gearwheel 4. The pinion 8 is mounted on the shaft 5 soas to be easily movable back and forth along said shaft either into or out of gear with the spur-wheel 4 and is prevented from turning on said shaft by the feather 7.

To one side of the pinion Sis a grooved por tion 9. A collar made in the usual way is fitted in said groove and provided with a pin 10. A forked arm 11 is secured to an upright bar12, which bar is mounted in vertical bearings 6 and 6 so that the forked bar 11 swings in a horizontal plane, and its forked end embraces the pin 10 on the collar. At the top of the I upright bar 12 is a hand-wheel12 for turning it.

'From the above-described construction it will now be seen that if the upright bar 12 be turned so as to bring the forked'bar to the position shown by the dotted lines c in Fig. 1 the pinion 8 will be moved to the position indicated by the dotted lines 41 and out of engagement with the gear-wheel 4, and it may be as easily moved back'into engagement again. In Fig. 1 the hand-wheel 12 is ornitted, so as to show the parts below it.

Rigidly secured to the end of the shaft 5 is a bevel gear-Wheel 13, and to the lower end of a depending arm 13 (shown in Fig. 4) on the main frame is mounted a short shaft having firmly secured'to one end a bevel gearwheel14, adapted to gear in and operate with the wheel 13. (Shown in Fig.1.) To the opposite end of said short shaft is rigidly secured another bevel 'wh'eel 15.

To the front frame-bar of the car is secured, by bolts 16, two 'depending'arms 17 and 17, (see Fig. 4,) and mounted in suitable boxes in the lower ends of said arms is a horizontal shaft 18, having rigidly secured to it at each end the forked portions 19 of a universal joint, each one of which is pivoted by pins or screw-bolts 20 to a ball 21.

To the opposite side of each ball 21 is pivoted by bolts 22 another forked piece 23 similar to the forked portions 19, thus completing the universal joints, and to each forked piece 23 is secured a shaft 24, having its opposite end mounted in a substantially vertical movable box in the depending frames orhangers 25 and 25 (see Fig. 4,) the saidboxes being fitted in any well-known'w'ay so as to be movable a short distance up or down in" s'lideways in said hangers 25 and 25. p

On each shaft 24 is rigidly secured a rotary brush 26, both brushes 26 b'eing looated so as to rest directly in front of'the car-wheels and diagonally across each track-gor rail. (See Figs. 1 and 4.)

The shaft 18 is provided with a bevel gearwheel 27, adapted to gear in with the bevel gear-wheel 15.

It will now be obvious that when the car is running it will cause the spur-wheel 4.to'r0- tate, which motion will be transmitted to the pinion 8 when in gear with said wheel. From thence motion will be transmitted to the bevelwheels 13 and 14 and from thence to the bevel-wheels 15 and 27, thereby givinga rapid rotary motion to the shaft 18, and through the universal joints and connecting parts a similar rotary motion will be given to the rotary brushes 26.

The rotary brushes 26 are constructed as follows: The cylindrical body 28 of the brush is bored out to fit the shaft 24 and is provided with a short tapering portion 29, which tapers down near each end to a slight enlargement 30 at each end, having a screw-thread 31 on its periphery, (see Fig. 3,) on each of which is fitted a nut 32. The brush portion consists of iron or steel wires 33. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) They are rigidly secured in place by a series of wire-holding bars 34, made to taper from their outer edges to their inner edges, (see Fig. 2,) so that when all are put together around the supporting portion 28 their sides will radiate from its center, as in said Fig. 2. The inner sides of the wire-holding bars 34 are made to conform in a longitudinal direction to the shape of the supporting portion, as in Fig. 3. Their outer sides are also of the same form, for reasons that will appear farther on. The wires 33 all being put in place, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with the wire-holding bars 34 between each series of wires, the ends of the bars 34, when thus put together, present a cylindrical tapering portion at each end, over each of which is put a ring 35, having a tapering inner side adapted to fit over them, substantially as shown in Fig. 2. The nuts 32 are then put on and screwed up tightly, thereby holding everything rigidly in place, as shown in said Figs. 2 and 3.

The shift-ing bar 11 is also connected pivotally with a transverse bar 36, which connects with the toggle-joints 37 and 38 at each side of the car. The upper ends of the togglejoints are pivotall y connected tofixed supports 39 and their lower ends are pivotally connected to the-boxes carrying the outer ends, as hereipbefore stated, the construction being such that a movement of the shifting bar 11 to disengage the pinion 8 from the spur-wheel 4 will simultaneously cause the brushes to be lifted 1 up away from the track, the toggle-joints and their connecting-bar 36 being brought to the position shown by the dotted lines S in Fig. 4.

It will be noticed by reference to Fig. 4 that when the brushes are down upon the track the several parts of the toggle-joints are in a straight line with each other, so that the brushes are securely locked in their position and cannot be moved upward until the shifting mechanism is used to operate the toggle-joints.

It will be further seen that all the brushoperating mechanism is located on the cartruck and entirely disconnected from the body of the car. The object of this construction is to prevent the up or down movements of the body of the car (due to its supportingsprings) from interfering in any way with the proper adjustment of the brushes or their operating mechanism.

I claim as my invention 1. In a rotary track-clearing device, the combination with a car-axle, of a gear-wheel rigidly secured thereon,a pinion-shaft mounted in boxes on a supporting-frame on the cartruck, a pinion mounted thereon and adapted to be moved back and forth along said shaft into or out of gear with the spur-wheel, means for preventing said pinion from turning on said shaft, a pivoted shifting bar for moving the pinion into or out of gear with the spurwheel, a shaft mounted in front of the cartruck connected by gearing with the pinionshaft and by universal joints with a shaft at each end, said shafts having their opposite ends secured in vertically-movable boxes located at each side of the car-truck and each connected With a toggle-joint with said cartruck. a transverse operating-bar having its ends pivoted to the toggle-joints and also 0011- nected with said shifting bar for operating the toggle-joints and thereby raising or lowering the said brushes.

2. In a rotary track-clearing device, the combination with a car-axle, of a spur-wheel rigidly secured thereto, a pinion-shaft mounted in boxes opposite said'spur-Wheel and carrying a pinion adapted to engage with the spur-wheel, means for moving it into or out of engagement therewith, a shaft mounted in boxes at the front of the car, universal joints at each end of said shaft, two brushshafts each carrying a rotary brush and mounted in vertically-movable bearings at their outer ends, their opposite ends being connected with said universal joints, two toggle-joints having their upper ends pivoted to -the car-truck and their lower ends pivoted to said vertically-movable boxes, a transverse bar having its two ends pivoted to the operative portions of said toggle-joints, and a pivoted bolt connecting the same with the shifting bar, for simultaneously lifting the two rotary brushes up from the track and throw- 1 ing them out of action at the same time, or lowering them down to the track and locking them in position, as described. 1

In a rotary track-clearing device, a rotary brush, consisting of a supporting or body portion 28, a series of transverse tapering bars 34, adapted to fit together around the periphery of the supporting portion to inclose and hold the wire brushes, rings for inclosing thebars 34, and screw-nuts for rigidly securing the whole together, substantially as described. 4. In a rotary track-clearing device, the combination of a car-axle, a gear-wheel rigidly secured thereon, a pinion-shaft mounted on the car-truck, a pinion mounted thereon and adapted to be moved back and forth along said shaft into or out of gear with the spurwheel, means for preventing said pinion from turning on said shaft, a bar for moving the pinion into or out of gear with the spur-wheel,

a shaft mounted in front of and on the cartruck and connected by gearing with the pin.- ion-shaft and by universal joints With a shaft at each end, said shafts having their opposite ends secured in vertically-movable boxes located at each side of the car-truck, a togglejoint connecting each of said boxes with said car-truck, a transverse operating-bar having its ends pivoted to the toggle-joints and also connected with said shifting bar for operating the toggle-joints and thereby raising or lowering the said brushes, the Whole being mounted on the truck and disconnected from the car-body so that the brushes and their operating mechanism are isolated from the carbody and cannotbe afiected by its movements, as above set forth.

GEORGE W. BAEHRE.

Witnesses:

JAMES SANGSTER,

ARNOLD A. BAHRE. 

